Post by Char on Oct 26, 2008 13:55:29 GMT -6
ENVYING AND STRIFE AND LYING AGAINST TRUTH
JAMES 3:14
I. ENVYING AND STRIFE...BITTER ENVYING AND STRIFE IN YOUR HEARTS.
Envying is the mother of strife.
They are often coupled (Rom. 1:29 and 13:13; I Cor. 3:3). Envy is the source of all heresies.
Arius envied Peter of Alexandria, and thence those bitter strife and persecution. It must needs be so. Envy is an eager desire of our own fame, and a maligning of that which others have. Well then, LET NOTHING BE DONE THROUGH STRIFE AND VAINGLORY. PHIL. 2:3 .
Scorn to act out of that impulse. Should we harbour that corruption which betrayed Christ, enkindled the world, and poisoned the church.
There is nothing in the life but what was first in the heart. Matt. 15:19...FOR OUT OF THE HEART PROCEED EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDERS, ADULTERIES, FORNICATIONS, THEFTS, FALSE WITNESS, BLASPHEMIES.
The heart is the fountain, keep it pure; be as careful to avoid guilt as shame. If you would have the life holy before men, let the heart be pure before God; especially cleanse the heart from strife and envy. Strife in the heart is worst; the words are not so abominable in God’s eye as the will and purpose. Strife is in the heart when it is cherished there, and anger is soured into malice, and malice betrayeth itself by debates or desires of revenge; clamour is naught, but malice is worse.
Envious or contentious persons have little reason to glory in their engagement. Envy argues either a nullity or a poverty of grace; a nullity where it reigns, a weakness where it is resisted but not over come. GAL. 5:24...AND THEY THAT ARE CHRIST’S HAVE CRUCIFIED THE FLESH WITH THE AFFECTIONS AND LUSTS.
Envy and strife goes often under the mask of zeal. These were apt to glory in their carnal strife; it is easy to take on a pretense of religion, and to baptize envious contests with a glorious name.
Hypocrisy and carnal pretenses are the worst kind of ties. The practical lie is worst of all; by other lies we deny the truth, by this we abuse it; and it is worse sometimes to abuse an enemy than to destroy him.
II. LYING AGAINST THE TRUTH...LIE NOT AGAINST THE TRUTH.
They professed the faith of the truth. But the indulgence and manifestation of such tempers of mind was LIE AGAINST THE TRUTH which they professed. It was not merely a lie against their profession of it. Then all would have been right. Those who witnessed their tempers and behaviour would have been led only to conclude that their profession was unsound, and had no corresponding reality; that they were either self-deceivers or hypocrites. And this would have been the right conclusion. But they LIED AGAINST THE TRUTH.
While they professed to believe it, an acted inconsistently with it, they bore to the world a false testimony–a practical testimony much more apt to be credited than a verbal one–with regard to its real nature and its legitimate influence. Everything of the kind is a practical lie.
It is BEARING FALSE WITNESS against the truth of God, and, consequently against the God of truth.
It is leading the world to erroneous estimates; and while dishonoring to God, it ruinous to souls.
And let us see that we generalise the principle. It is true of all inconsistences, as well as of those here specified. The charge of LYING AGAINST THE TRUTH bears upon everyone who assumes the name of Christian, while WALKING, in any part of his conduct, ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD.
As the Jews of old belied their God and their religion, when, on ENTERING AMONG THE HEATHEN. They acted so wickedly as to lead the heathen to say, with scornful taunt...THESE ARE THE PEOPLE OF JEHOVAH, AND ARE COME FORTH OUT OF HIS LAND. So is it, alas, among the heathen still, in regard to the multitude.
There is hardly a more serious obstacle in the way of their success with which missionaries have to contend than this.
O let us beware of throwing any such stumbling-block in the way of an ungodly world-----any such obstacle in the way of the progress of the redeemers’s cause.
Upon all our words and all our actions let there ever be the impress of the truth— that, like Demetrius, we may HAVE GOOD REPORT OF ALL MEN, AND OF THE TRUTH ITSELF; and that thus our characters may attest the Divine origin of the gospel by presenting to men a manifestation of its Divine influence.
JAMES 3:14
I. ENVYING AND STRIFE...BITTER ENVYING AND STRIFE IN YOUR HEARTS.
Envying is the mother of strife.
They are often coupled (Rom. 1:29 and 13:13; I Cor. 3:3). Envy is the source of all heresies.
Arius envied Peter of Alexandria, and thence those bitter strife and persecution. It must needs be so. Envy is an eager desire of our own fame, and a maligning of that which others have. Well then, LET NOTHING BE DONE THROUGH STRIFE AND VAINGLORY. PHIL. 2:3 .
Scorn to act out of that impulse. Should we harbour that corruption which betrayed Christ, enkindled the world, and poisoned the church.
There is nothing in the life but what was first in the heart. Matt. 15:19...FOR OUT OF THE HEART PROCEED EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDERS, ADULTERIES, FORNICATIONS, THEFTS, FALSE WITNESS, BLASPHEMIES.
The heart is the fountain, keep it pure; be as careful to avoid guilt as shame. If you would have the life holy before men, let the heart be pure before God; especially cleanse the heart from strife and envy. Strife in the heart is worst; the words are not so abominable in God’s eye as the will and purpose. Strife is in the heart when it is cherished there, and anger is soured into malice, and malice betrayeth itself by debates or desires of revenge; clamour is naught, but malice is worse.
Envious or contentious persons have little reason to glory in their engagement. Envy argues either a nullity or a poverty of grace; a nullity where it reigns, a weakness where it is resisted but not over come. GAL. 5:24...AND THEY THAT ARE CHRIST’S HAVE CRUCIFIED THE FLESH WITH THE AFFECTIONS AND LUSTS.
Envy and strife goes often under the mask of zeal. These were apt to glory in their carnal strife; it is easy to take on a pretense of religion, and to baptize envious contests with a glorious name.
Hypocrisy and carnal pretenses are the worst kind of ties. The practical lie is worst of all; by other lies we deny the truth, by this we abuse it; and it is worse sometimes to abuse an enemy than to destroy him.
II. LYING AGAINST THE TRUTH...LIE NOT AGAINST THE TRUTH.
They professed the faith of the truth. But the indulgence and manifestation of such tempers of mind was LIE AGAINST THE TRUTH which they professed. It was not merely a lie against their profession of it. Then all would have been right. Those who witnessed their tempers and behaviour would have been led only to conclude that their profession was unsound, and had no corresponding reality; that they were either self-deceivers or hypocrites. And this would have been the right conclusion. But they LIED AGAINST THE TRUTH.
While they professed to believe it, an acted inconsistently with it, they bore to the world a false testimony–a practical testimony much more apt to be credited than a verbal one–with regard to its real nature and its legitimate influence. Everything of the kind is a practical lie.
It is BEARING FALSE WITNESS against the truth of God, and, consequently against the God of truth.
It is leading the world to erroneous estimates; and while dishonoring to God, it ruinous to souls.
And let us see that we generalise the principle. It is true of all inconsistences, as well as of those here specified. The charge of LYING AGAINST THE TRUTH bears upon everyone who assumes the name of Christian, while WALKING, in any part of his conduct, ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD.
As the Jews of old belied their God and their religion, when, on ENTERING AMONG THE HEATHEN. They acted so wickedly as to lead the heathen to say, with scornful taunt...THESE ARE THE PEOPLE OF JEHOVAH, AND ARE COME FORTH OUT OF HIS LAND. So is it, alas, among the heathen still, in regard to the multitude.
There is hardly a more serious obstacle in the way of their success with which missionaries have to contend than this.
O let us beware of throwing any such stumbling-block in the way of an ungodly world-----any such obstacle in the way of the progress of the redeemers’s cause.
Upon all our words and all our actions let there ever be the impress of the truth— that, like Demetrius, we may HAVE GOOD REPORT OF ALL MEN, AND OF THE TRUTH ITSELF; and that thus our characters may attest the Divine origin of the gospel by presenting to men a manifestation of its Divine influence.
